User Reviews

Reviews by IBUnit63:

3.7/5 rDev -12.1%

Went in here on a rainy Saturday on a quick trip to Portland. There was a decent selection, but not as good as I expected considering a lot of the positive comments I've heard about this store. Additionally, there were quite a few older bottles on display...especially in the German and Belgian selections. Still, it's a decent selection. I have to ding service on this note, though. I asked the guy at the register if they had any Cadillac Mountain Stout, and he responded, "Cadillac Mountain Stout...ummm...who makes it?" Are you $#!+ting me? If you're holding yourself out as a solid beer store in Maine, every service person, owner, manager, janitor or carrier pigeon in the place better know about the most sought-after beer in Maine (OK, that was before Gargamel). He may have been new, but that didn't help. Still, it has a pretty decent selection save for potential freshness issues. I do prefer Tully's in Wells by a significant margin, however, but when in downtown Portland by the wharf Downeast is the best place I saw. And the bakery next door is awesome.

This is an excellent store right in Old Port, right on the waterfront. Though a bit small, there is plenty of Maine beers to be had in sixers and bombers along with a decent wine selection.

If you don't see anything, ask and you shall receive a quick response. I was able to find a good selection from the new brewers like Rising Tide along with much else. This may not be the highest rated beer store in Portland, but it is excellent for visitors with limited time who seek a store with a (seemingly) endless selection of regional brews.

This is an pretty good spot in Old Port to grab some brew. For people who are from "away", you will likely find some beer that you do not get in MA/CT/NY, etc. They carry Maine Beer Co, Allagash, some Belgians, German, West Coast breweries, others. You will find the beer tucked into a back corner of the store. Most of their space is dedicated to wine and spirits. And along with that, when I came in, their staff was pre-occupied tasting wines with a sales rep.
Regardless of that, this store did not live up to some of the previous ratings for me. Granted, it is in a convenient downtown area and has some good beer available, but some of the really high ratings have me, scratching my head. But, if you are staying nearby, by all means, pick up a couple things hear, but I`m guessing that you will not be blown away.

A nice "gourmet food" setup, and a decent number of bottles in the trendy West district. Not as many bottles as Tulley's, by a big margin. More pricey distributed bottles. More Shelton Brothers bottles than anything else. But that was good for me, and passed over bottles of Stillwater and of Dugges enabled me to catch up on his saisons. A little pricey. Still nice street to shop.Smaler bottles only by the six pack and in the cooler. It was the bombers and 500 ml. at a good temperature.

After the successful acquisition of blueberry scones @ the standard bakery (located next door) I make my way into downeast for some brews. Liquor and wine take up the front of the store with most of the beer stuffed into the very back. There are coolers full of beer along the left side as well. As I remember their selection consisted of maine locals (Allagash/Maine beer co) as well as some interesting imports (mainly Belgian). In retrospect the selection isn't as good as I remember it being. I question their impressive selection of Stillwater beers over ones from the new england region, or even the northeast. Finally, the icing on the cake is being lied to by staff about Allagash special release beer availability at the brewery (followed by a huge overcharge for a beer produced &lt;10 miles away). Leaving the place has me convinced the only necessary beer stop is Julio's/Portsmouth, but I think I'll continue to get outstanding scones next door.

After living in Portland for &gt;19 months and having tried all the liquor/beer stores in the area, I can honestly say that this one is the best.

I mostly go there for beer so I'll focus on that. They have a great selection--not as much quantity as RSVP, but still very good. Anything you want from Maine is there, plus anything that is distributed here, and a lot of foreign crafts.

Customer service: this is where they win hands-down. The customer is always right at Downeast Beverage. They do not have inane policies such as not accepting passports or not selling to out of state residents who are &lt; 25 y/o. They will get you bottles on request and call when your order arrives, and then save it for you. They don't have bottle limits either. The staff are very friendly and you never feel like they're mocking you, even newbies. I've heard some pretty silly questions about beer while in there, and the staff are always 100% helpful, never annoyed or put off. They are not salesmen and will talk you out of buying something if they know you won't be 100% happy with it.

They also have occasional beer and wine tastings, which are great fun... wish I could attend more often.

I pretty much exclusively go here now because of the above reasons. They have treated me very well and thus I will always buy at Downeast Beverage. I highly recommend them!

My favorite beer store in Portland for a number of reasons. Nice selection which is very well organized and easy to peruse with most beers organized by country or style. Nolan, the beer buyer, knows his stuff, is extremely helpful and great to talk beer with. Great interior with exposed brick walls and old, old wood floors which remind of the floors in my grandparents' old barn where I used to sneak beer at family events. Prices are a little above average but that is to be expected given the location right in the Old Port. Definitely a great place to check out if you are in the Portland area.

last stop on the way out of town after a really solid breakfast at the Public Market House

cool old building with creaky wooden floors and old brick walls, especially like the 100+ year old mortar dust that seems to settle on bottles placed close to the wall

as an out of towner I was specifically interested in local and regional beers, of which a pretty nice representation is found here, singles available and breaking six-packs is allowed, probably won't find the entire portfolio of any particular brewery but the selections were quality, solid representation from Belgium and the rest of Europe but those received only a quick glance, I left with a few different selections from Atlantic Brewing but you'll also find stuff from Gritty's, Long Trail, Belfast Bay, Geary's, Sebago, Allagash of course...

not much floor service, but the gentleman working seemed to be restricted to the register by a constant stream of checkouts

I've been in here twice now looking for beer that I can't get in VT - so mainly Nogne-O and higher ABV beers. The first time I found a couple 120 Mins, and I couldn't find a WWS which I really wanted, but I asked the beer guy and he went out back and found me one which was awesome! I came back this time but sadly no WWS. I did find Brewdog Tokyo, Mikkeller Black Hole and Beer Geek Breakfast, and the Nogne-O, Jolly Pumpkin, Stone Collaboration that was brewed at Nogne-O which I've never seen before!

The prices seem a bit high, however I was buying higher ABV imported stuff so that's to be expected. Make sure to look around because I found a Dark Horizon in the back of one shelf the first time I was there which was a pretty good find!

Not a lot of stores in the area featuring a good beer selection, but this one is my "go-to". Most of the beer is in the back, past an also decent selection of wines / spirits. Lots of local flavor, including Allagash, Gritty's, Bar Harbor, etc. They keep the new stuff from Maine Beer Company stocked as much as possible, although it flies out the door quickly, usually straight into my fridge. They get one delivery per week according to the staff. There's also a decent amount of imports / Belgians etc along the back wall. Some Shelton Bros stuff, etc. Occasionally you can find some stuff from De Struisse. The only downside is that a lot of the more interesting stuff doesn't seem like it sells, so the selection doesn't change much week to week. I go in probably twice a week, mostly for Peeper Ale, and am getting a little bored w/ the typical offerings. That being said, they do a good job with what's available in Maine. The folks that work there are always in a jolly mood and willing to chat about beer. They have a great logo w/ a lobster holding a martini glass that is available in shirts, flags, pints, etc. Overall a great place and probably the top in the area in my opinion. Also worth noting, if you are just in the area briefly you should consider stopping by the Standard Bakery right next door, another great local place w/ a bounty of baked goods.

We were checking out of our hotel on a Sunday, so my wife and I walked down here just to check it out and to see what else we could thrown in the car to bring back to MA. We walked in and were greeted with a hello. The beer is in the back of the store. There are a few coolers for cold six packs. Right up front, there is a nice display for Allagash products and next to that, a shelf for other Maine beers. Behind, there are shelves for other US craft beers and imported brews. I was hoping to find some really obscure Maine beers, and while there were some to choose from, it wasn't a large selection. I picked up a bottle of Maine Brewing Company's Peeper Ale for $4.75 to add to the haul from the weekend. We were greeted again at the register. Downeast seemed like the best beer store in the immediate Old Port area.

I was happy to be able to check out Downeast Bev Co with my friends FooFaa and ffejherb. We strolled in after having a bite at 3 Dollar Deweys and befor heading to Novare Res Bier Cafe.

The place is not huge,but what they lack in size they make up for in selection. They have quality stuff like a whole rack of very reasonably priced Trappist and Lambics and they cover the gamut with locals and Europen choices as well. The coolers are pretty well stocked with craft brews including some Allagash and ffejherb got the last bottle of Spring Peeper they had. I was very happy with the prices in comparison to PA as I saved over 3 dollars after tax on a bottle of Orval.

The quality and selection are both good, but the service was limited to ringing us up when we were done. I don't have a problem with that since everything is well displayed and we were having a good time marvelling at the varity of things we can't get in PA. They have seasonals grouped together but some hoppy beers were displayed in the light -my only gripe. I would not hesitate to recommend them - I left my wallet sit absentmindedly and the cashier picked it up for me -Thanks! If you want to try some out of the ordinary brews like gruit, Zwickel and rauchbier they have them too --nice place and you won't be dissapointed.

Great little beer store in Portland. A nice welcoming atmosphere, not your average warehouse style liquor store feel. The quantity of selection isn't the best, but the quality just might be. Plenty of the usual favorites to choose from with a bunch of oddball stuff you won't see anywhere else in maine. Nolan the beer guy there is very helpful and knowledgeable. He seems to know about every beer in the store, and had an answer for every question I asked. Parking is tough, but well worth the hassle. Pricing is great, I walked out with a ton of good beer for 50 bucks. They usually have slightly out season stuff on sale too. Don't miss this place when in Portland.